Meet the ABA Procurement Team

Part of our series of interviews with ABA Procurement’s office team, procurement tutors, and CIPS Students.

Beth, either shocked or horrified when the Beast from the East snow storm hit.

Next up in our interview series we have someone is who both the newest member of the ABA Team, and also the person who has been here the longest (thanks to studying with us way back when). She’s our Director of Curriculum, Lead Tutor, slightly obssessive Taylor Swift fan, and all around lovely person: it’s Beth Seager.

Lu: So, first things first, how did you end up in procurement?

Beth: I was working at Evander Glazing and Locks, at their head office in Norwich, and a job came up in procurement there so I went for it.

L: Oh really? Quick, what’s your favourite fact about double glazing.

B: Oh, favourite? There’s only three glass suppliers in the whole world but there’s so many double glazing suppliers because they are literally just putting two bits of glass together.

L: If you could only teach one aspect of procurement forever, what would it be and why?

B: L4M7 Whole Life Asset Management. Everytime. It’s completely focused on manufacturing and that’s the part of procurement that I really love because you go through the whole process and get to make a tangible thing at the end. I don’t like services as much, I never really get it in the same way. Even though I now own a training company. I probably shouldn’t say that right, can you cut it?

L: I mean, I could, yeah. Moving on, you started with ABA as a student. Do you think that’s helped you in your role now?

B: Oh definitely. It means that I get what it’s like to study while working full time, I know how hard it can be and what helped me to manage it. I also know what it feels like to be an adult going back to doing exams and how daunting that can be so I think it’s helped me in my teaching because I bring an awareness of that and do my best to help students with it all.

L: What do you think sets ABA apart as a study centre?

B: We get to know every one of our students as a person, not just as a number on a course. And we stay with them whether they just study one level or all the way through, we follow them. Not in a creepy way! We follow their successes and their career and we stick around to support them even when they’re done studying.

L: Where do you see ABA in 5 years?

Hopefully with some study centres in hot places so that we can go and visit students and spend most of the time on the beach.

Quick Fire Question Time

Beth, and her husband Ben, off exploring Costa Rica

L: Outside of work, how do you spend your time?

B: Listening to Taylor Swift

L: What’s your favourite book?

B: Jane Ayre

L: Who’s the most organised in the ABA office?

B: Me!

L: Who’s the go to for exam day panics?

B: Evie or Lu? Probably Evie

L: Who’s win in a fight out of the ABA team?

B: Evie

L: Who’s most likely to accidentally burn down the office?

B: Lu (L: Rude!)

L: Knowing what you know now, what would you tell yourself on your first day as an ABA student?

B: Stress less! And stay in touch with everyone you meet along the way.